Kopassus members told to be close to people
Kopassus members told to be close to people
BANDUNG (JP): Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung
told the red-beret members of the Army's elite force, Kopassus,
to stay close to people and help them feel secure.
"ABRI is nothing without the people's participation," he told
the members of the Army Special Force Command Saturday while
inspecting the preparations for its 45th anniversary celebration
next week.
Kopassus should establish good relations with people so that
they feel safe when the red berets are around, he said at the
force's training ground in Batujajar.
The force should also be able to absorb the people's
aspirations and help them solve their problems, he added.
The event was also attended by the force's commandant, Maj.
Gen. Prabowo Subianto.
In his speech, Feisal praised the Kopassus for a number of
successful military operations it has staged in the past, saying
it has logged "magnificent records of achievement".
He attributed the performance to the force's philosophy, which
says that it is better for a Kopassus member to die rather than
lose a war.
However, Feisal warned the force not to be complacent. "You
should all remain low profile," he said. "Don't lose your spirit
even though you are not well paid."
"You must also always learn and improve your military skills,
in the anticipation of rapidly advancing technology and the
people's growing demand for social and political changes," he
said. "You must always be professional."
The military exercises for Kopassus' anniversary included the
introduction of new tactics and strategies for handling rioting,
armed robberies and any kind of terrorism.
Feisal was a member of the first group of Kopassus' officers,
along with Minister of Defense Edi Sudradjat and former chief of
the Jakarta regional military command Kentot Harseno.
Separately, Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Slamet Supriadi
said Kopassus has almost reached the targeted skills that an
elite military force should have.
The Kopassus recently completed its reorganization, which
includes an increase in size and a modernization of its weaponry.
The force, which has an impressive record of putting down
rebellions and of countering insurgency and terrorism, has been
expanded from four groups to five groups, one of which will focus
on counterterrorism, and its size has expanded from 6,000 to
10,000 troopers.
Before the reorganization, the force was divided into three
groups plus the Detachment '81, considered the most elite unit.
Now Kopassus consists of five groups: two for combat operations,
one for education and training, one for intelligence operations
and one for antiterrorist operations. (imn)